“The Third Day” is a story about grief and pain, as evidenced by the anguish of Law’s and Harris’ characters, two separate people on personal journeys who find themselves drawn to a small island off the British coast. But once there, the townspeople — including those played by Katherine Waterston and Emily Watson — seem to be preparing for a lot of bad things to happen. Here’s the official synopsis, according to HBO: “The show is divided into two parts: ‘Summer’ and ‘Winter.’ In ‘Summer,’ one man (Jude Law) visits a mysterious island off the British coast and discovers a group of inhabitants intent on preserving their home at any cost. In the second half, aka ‘Winter,’ a strong-willed outsider (Naomie Harris) comes to the island seeking answers — but instead causes a battle to decide its fate.”
“The Third Day” comes from the immersive theater company that put on the New York production “Sleep No More,” a take on Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” with noir elements. And there certainly seem to be callbacks to other films evoked in this trailer, from the more modern-day movie “Midsommar” to the 1973 classic “The Wicker Man.” If you’ve seen either of those films you should be able to figure out what you (and the characters) have probably gotten themselves into. The series has been in development for awhile, dropping a first trailer all the way back in March of this year. With paranoia on the rise it certainly seems like the perfect time to give audiences this series, especially as HBO appears to have its finger on the pulse of current events. Their recent foray into the world of “Watchmen” didn’t just lend itself to a bevy of Emmy nominations, but a ton of thinkpieces of how it predicted and historically drew from certain current events.
“The Third Day” will air on HBO and HBO Max starting September 14. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
